One of a cluster of great jazz venues within walking distance of Dalston’s Kingsland High Street – there’s also Cafe Oto, Servant Jazz Quarters and Dalston Jazz Bar – Vortex was founded in 1988 on Stoke Newington’s Church Street, before moving to its current 100-capacity space in Gillett Square’s Dalston Culture House in 2005.
Over the decades, it has developed a reputation for consistently exciting programming – the majority of its 400-odd shows each year are programmed by the club itself – with a judicious balance between avant-garde and more accessible sounds.
Not sure what to see? Be sure to check out its improv series Mopomosi. Founded in 1991 by guitarist John Russell and pianist, trumpeter and composer Chris Burn, it’s the UK’s longest-running improv night, and takes place on the fourth Sunday of each month. Expect instrumentation to range from the traditional to the newly invented, and occasional collaborations with artists working in poetry/spoken-word, dance, film and performance art, too.